Landscape Articles

Anne Marie DiMatteo

Before making any major decision regarding a home, any homeowner should do their due dilligence by researching their problem as well as all the possible solutions. Deciding what to do with your yard and then choosing the right landscape design can be very daunting and exhausting. We like to encourage potential customers to think about how they want to use their yard and the aspects of their existing conditions that they don't like.

Learn about 3 of the most common customizable characteristics of patios while deciding what you are looking for in your yard. Professional landscape designers are trained professionals to help you get the most out of your space and money, but it is important for you to understand how they can custom design a patio for your home.

A customized garden design takes the needs of each individual homeowner into consideration and applies them directly to the design plan. Although garden design plans can be customized in many ways, here are a few examples of customized garden designs.

Before starting in your garden, make sure to get your soil tested. Many gardeners and landscape professionals forget this step and plant incorrectly. It is important to know the basic information about your soil in order to what know what and where to plant in your garden.

One of the best ways to create an ecological garden is by planting more native plants. Planting native plants enhances and supports your local ecosystem which has more benefits than we can imagine. When selecting plants think about companion planting. Many native plants have evolved along side each other and grow more naturally together. The following are two great examples of companion planting:

Home owners are more aware of the beauty and ecological benefits of an edible garden, and some are hiring professionals solely for their help with adding a variety of edible trees, shrubs, and perennials to their landscape. Edible gardens can be used to perform many functions in the landscape while achieving design and practical goals. For example, to reduce erosion and out-compete weeds, creeping herbs can be used as ground covers.

Six high rise buildings over looking the George Washington Bridge and Manhattan Sky Line are home to former NYC residents who are "escaping city life". Fort Lee, NJ sits on the top of a cliff with a mountain-like climate, high winds and cold winters. My father-in-law was the landscape architect assigned to this community and was faced with the problem of finding a hardy, all season interest plant to put in the garden beds at the main entrance. Being the creative and innovative landscape architect he is, my father-in-law suggested a plant known for its hardiness and extended season. It has yellow, red, and orange foliage in the autumn, yellow-green to reddish stems for winter interest, urn-shaped white flowers in May, and a tasty blue fruit. What has all of that? A blueberry bush, the Vaccinium corymbosum.

His proposal was questioned numerous times-- a blueberry bush in the front of a multi-million dollar high rise complex, home to retired NYC residents who felt they were moving to suburbia by leaving the heart of Manhattan to only be 10 minutes outside the city with a panoramic view of the city skyline?!? Was he crazy? No, he was innovative and persistent. The highbush blueberry shrubs were eventually "okayed" and planted in front of two of the six buildings.

After a year or so, the lifelong city dwellers got to do something they never imagine, dreamed or even thought of possibly doing. Every morning, you would see these elderly urban dwellers go out their front door dressed in their designer robes, and pick fresh blueberries for their breakfast. As these women "foraged" for their food, they got to finally taste the fruits of gardening; something they never thought possible from their NYC life style.

As you find yourself in the middle of winter with below freezing temperatures and wind chills, it is a perfect time to stay inside and look out at your yard. What do you see? What would you like to see? This is the time you want to think about how you may want to fill in and add to your landscape. There are so many plants that will liven any landscape, even in the dead of winter.

Moodscapes has earned the service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of service provided to members of the consumer review service in 2013. They won the award in two categories, “Mulch & Topsoil” and “Landscaping - Hardscaping & Pavers”.

“Only about 5 percent of the companies Moodscapes competes with in Arlington, MA are able to earn our Super Service Award,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “It’s a mark of consistently great customer service.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2013 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade; the company must be in good standing with Angie’s List, have a fully complete profile, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality. Members can find the 2013 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

Moodscapes has received the Super Service Award for many years and continues to excel within the field of Landscape Design and Installation.